Front Brake Shoe Centering

[jack wingard]

Question about centering front brake shoes. I welded the worn roller track and ground to 1 5/16". Had "Snyders" mount new cast drums on hub, install new bearing races, true the drums and arched the shoes to each drum. The centering tool indicates the top of the shoes has a gap compared to the bottom. How do I bend the roller track upwards to compensate for this. Thanks in advance.

 

[Dan Partain]

Jack, don't try to bend the tracks for adjustment, that old shade tree mechanic trick has been debunked, there's much info on that in the archives here on FB.

What has worked for me is to weld the tracks and leave them a little higher than 1 5/16". All things considered, I take that 1 5/16" number as an approximate. If you weld and grind them down, but leave some extra height, you can perform your final fit on installation. You can file or grind the remaining amount to achieve the centering that you need. There are good directions regarding centering the shoes here on FB if you do a search.
Here is a track that is welded and roughly filed down. I will file it level before my first attempt to center the shoes.

 

[Kurt in NJ]

There's roller pins with square head to set in different positions to adjust centering

 

[Werner]

Guten Abend Kurt & Co.


That interests me too! Because in the coming winter I have to do the brakes new. Glued soft pads. Because my car is very (!) fading downhill.

Do the setting eccentric pins work really well?

Unfortunately I don't find them at Brattons.

 

[The Master Cylinder]

Flathead Ted makes the shoe centering pins but they are only for the rear. Snyder's has them https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/...TERING-PINS-TEDS?fromCategory=SearchByKeyword

 

[Werner]

Only rear

I say a big 'Thankyou' for this impotant hint!

 

[wmws]

On Flathead Ted's system the fronts center themselves. Works very well.